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Airbag light and 4 wheel drive slow to turn on and off

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Old 11-21-2013, 09:06 PM
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Default Airbag light and 4 wheel drive slow to turn on and off

I have a '97 with the 5.8 engine. The airbag light keeps coming on. I got an estimate of $200. Was not sure if that was an easy fix or a good price. Not sure I want to mess with airbags. Second problem is the 4 wheel drive is slow to turn off and on or it does not come on at all. I have not asked a mechanic about that yet. Any advice is appreciated,
Thanks,
Old 11-21-2013, 09:56 PM
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Alot of things could turn the airbag light on, it's prob something small if its only 200 to fix because an airbag replacement is really expensive, and is ur 4x4 the electronic shift or a manual shift?
Old 11-21-2013, 11:52 PM
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Ok, I will pay for the airbag fix. thought it was worth asking.

It is an electronic switch for the 4 wheel drive.
Old 11-22-2013, 12:58 AM
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Could be the switch itself or more likely the motor that engages the 4x4 is causing the problem, real common I the chevy electronic 4x4 I haven't seen it much in fords but could be it
Old 11-22-2013, 10:39 AM
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Before you pay the $200 for the air bag fix, turn off the air bag on the passenger seat and see if the light goes off. If it does, spray the key slot with WD40 and then try turning it back on. Sometimes you can have a bad or dirty switch that causes a bad air bag circuit and thus, no air bag. Doesn't work all the time but worth a shot.
Old 11-23-2013, 09:16 PM
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I turned off the passenger airbag and it still happens. It will blink off and on for about a minute after we start the truck and then stays on solid. Thanks for the idea, I was really hoping that was it.
Old 11-24-2013, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by guidoia
I turned off the passenger airbag and it still happens. It will blink off and on for about a minute after we start the truck and then stays on solid. Thanks for the idea, I was really hoping that was it.
sorry it didn't work. you system is trying to arm your air bag but you most likely have an open circuit which prevents if from doing so. After it tries, the light stays on to let you know that the air bag is not working. If you are like me, even though you can drive the truck without the air bag, you don't like to have broken systems and will go ahead and spend the money to have it fixed. You also never know when a working air bag might prevent something really bad from happening to you or your passenger.
Old 11-25-2013, 07:58 PM
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You can count the blinks and it will tell you what the problem is. If it's the clock spring, like it was for me, you can do that yourself pretty easily for about $50.
Old 11-25-2013, 10:01 PM
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Did they make a 5.8 in 97???
Old 11-25-2013, 10:46 PM
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Originally Posted by 03heritageboyjr
Did they make a 5.8 in 97???
don't think so I think he meant 5.4



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